Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
L
$$$
The Como Melbourne,
630
Chapel St., South Yarra (
&
1800/033 400
in Australia, or 800/552-6844 in the U.S.
and Canada; www.mirvachotels.com.au).
$$
Fountain Terrace,
28 Mary St., St.
Kilda (
&
61/3/9593 8123;
www.fountain
terrace.com.au).
specializing in visits to craft brewers far-
ther afield in Victoria. Contact
Scruffy
Bunch Tours
(
&
61/3/9859 4932;
www.
scruffybunch.com.au) and leave the driv-
ing to them.
(
Melbourne (23km/14 miles).
Breweries
392
Maine's Microbrew Capital
From Pale Ales to Porters
Portland, Maine
Everyone expects Portland, Oregon, to
have fine microbreweries to complement
its excellent wineries and cutting-edge
restaurants. But back on the East Coast,
it's the other Portland—Portland, Maine—
that sustains one of the country's most
vital craft brewery scenes. Their secret?
Maybe it's the waters of cold, clear Sebago
Lake, which has an ideal pH for beer mak-
ing. Just as likely it's the critical mass of
skilled brew masters catering to an ever
more discerning local clientele.
First on the scene was the first micro-
brewery in New England—the
D. L. Geary
Brewing Co.
(38 Evergreen Dr.;
&
207/
878-2337;
www.gearybrewing.com; tours
by appointment), which opened in 1986.
Mentored by Peter Maxwell Stuart of
Traquair House Brewery (see ), David
Geary developed his signature British-style
pale ale, followed by a hoppy Hampshire-
style ale and a dark London porter that has
been rated the world's best. In 1988, Grit-
ty's Portland Brew Pub (since renamed
Gritty McDuff's,
396 Fore St.;
&
207/772-
BREW
[207/772-2739]; www.grittys.com),
opened down in the historic Old Port area.
Gritty's brews its own fine British-style ales
on premises to serve alongside a casual
menu of burgers, sandwiches, and other
pub grub. You can view the vats and kettles
from a seat at the copper-topped bar in this
cozy wood-beams-and-brick hangout.
In 1994,
Shipyard Brewing Co.
(86
Newbury St.;
&
800/273-9253;
www.
shipyard.com) came on the scene, operat-
ing out of an old foundry in the downtown
waterfront. Under its British brew master,
Alan Pugsley, it's now Maine's largest
brewery, and Pugsley now mentors many
American craft brewers. Shipyard makes
12 prized varieties of English-style real ale,
including a stout, a brown ale, an India
pale ale, and its flagship, the full-bodied
golden Export Ale. They don't offer a full-
fledged tour, but if you visit the plant you
can view a video, observe the bottling line,
and have a tasting session—the real point
of visiting here.
Around the corner from D. F. Geary,
Allagash Brewing Company
(50 Indus-
trial Way;
&
800/330-5385;
www.
allagash.com) started up in 1995, intro-
ducing something new to the American
craft brewery movement—beers based
on a Belgian model rather than a British
one. Under brew master Rob Tod, they
have developed an intriguing range of
beers, from their flagship Allagash White,
a pale wheat beer, to Black, a Trappist-
style stout. Half-hour tours take place reg-
ularly on weekdays and include tastings.
Meanwhile, neighboring
Casco Bay
Brewing Co
(57 Industrial Way;
&
207/
797-2020;
www.cascobaybrewing.com;
tours available by appointment) didn't hit
